The folowing was written by an American foriegn service officer. Part humor, some frustration, always right on...
I just got back from a truly horrendous event for the local diplomatic corps and I'm bursting with bile...
The topics of discussion were, of course, the USA, Bush, our obsession with warfare, and our avoidance of the Kyoto Treaty.
More seriously, I continue to be amazed at how little ostensibly sophisticated people know about how the world works and the vital role played by the relentless US military machine in keeping the world working. Except for the Singaporean, who had a very hard-nosed, practical and pro-American ("We want the US Navy in our waters.") view of the world, the rest didn't have a clue. They prattled on and on about how the EU is blazing the path, a conflict-free path into the 21st century.
I couldn't make them understand that if tomorrow the United States became like Europe is today, then Europe would have to become like the United States is today. They can disarm, because we won't; their kids can talk about peace, because our kids fight the wars. Too hard to understand, I guess.
That is just a few snips. The rest may be found here
I just got back from a truly horrendous event for the local diplomatic corps and I'm bursting with bile...
The topics of discussion were, of course, the USA, Bush, our obsession with warfare, and our avoidance of the Kyoto Treaty.
More seriously, I continue to be amazed at how little ostensibly sophisticated people know about how the world works and the vital role played by the relentless US military machine in keeping the world working. Except for the Singaporean, who had a very hard-nosed, practical and pro-American ("We want the US Navy in our waters.") view of the world, the rest didn't have a clue. They prattled on and on about how the EU is blazing the path, a conflict-free path into the 21st century.
I couldn't make them understand that if tomorrow the United States became like Europe is today, then Europe would have to become like the United States is today. They can disarm, because we won't; their kids can talk about peace, because our kids fight the wars. Too hard to understand, I guess.
That is just a few snips. The rest may be found here